The bats back Arroyo

It’s too early to say if everything is back in business offensively, but at least on Monday the Reds lineup had found their mojo, some giddyup…some — well, something. A 9-5 win over the Brewers featured 12 hits, including a season-high eight in the top of the third inning.

Big night for Brandon Phillips in the cleanup spot — 3-for-4, 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored. He also drew a walk. He had a RBI single during the six-run third inning and his two-run single provided insurance in the top of the ninth as Milwaukee inched back into the game.

What did you think of the altered lineup?

Notes:

*Nice game for Bronson Arroyo, who pitched 6.1 ip, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He also had a two-out RBI single in the big third inning. The early lead allowed Arroyo to cruise. He was working nice and easy and had some pitches down in the low 80s mph getting the job done.

*With two singles in the third, Drew Stubbs became the first Reds batter with two hits in an inning since Adam Dunn on 8/22/06 vs HOU

*Bill Bray saw his scoreless streak come to an end. Bray, who came in with 8 1/3 scoreless inningsover 10 appearances (including 0-for-3 inherited runners scored). Bray allowed a one-out single to Casey McGehee and a walk in the eighth. Against Nick Masset, Jonathan Lucroy drove in McGehee with a single up the middle.

*The Reds have 19 of the last 22 games vs. Milwaukee, including all four this season and six in a row going back to 2010.

Quotes:

“When stuff like that happens, it lets you know we’re almost there. We’re coming together. It’s about that time. Good things are going to go through things like that. The change to the lineup really woke us up a little bit…it was an eye-opener.” — Brandon Phillips.

“Every time we go into St. Louis it’s mentally draining and physically draining because they’re always hard-fought games and those guys seem to place us really tough. Hopefully we can get tomorrow and wrap this series up and go into the last one looking for a sweep.” — Bronson Arroyo

“That’s what we’re going to have to do, kind of, especially until we get Scotty back. I’m glad we got Brandon hot behind Joey. Jay Bruce swung the bat well tonight. He got only one hit but hit the ball well three times.” — Dusty Baker

8 Comments

I like the lineup – get Bruce some fastballs, let Brandon protect Joey. Any change is good right now. I’m wondering if the Reds will do to Milwaukee what the Cards did to the Reds last year – win almost all the games and still finish second.

Meanwhile, with all the talk of expanding the playoffs, it’s time to unveil my secret plan to save baseball! Here’s my idea: start the playoffs in June, right after the NBA finals, when baseball has the sports world to itself. Finish the World Series in early July, in baseball weather instead of the gales of November! Then take a quick break, and start the next season. Play through mid-October, hold the All-Star game in some domed or warm-weather site (based on a full year’s stats instead of who had a good first half!), break for the winter and recommence the ‘season’ in April. That would put the ‘hot’ in the hot stove league, as teams jockey from November through February to improve their rosters for a playoff run. Put the trade deadline right after the Superbowl. Oh, and also, make Baseball an Olympic Sport in the Winter Games – why haven’t they done that? Ideas whose time is coming, am I right?

Good effort max.
Lineup worked well. Agree that hitter before Votto will do well, after Votto must focus and keep hitting.
As always Baker and any manager knows best of which players should play and hit etc. Except Corey Patterson. He should be unemployed. That is all.

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